handsoff
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Posts posted by handsoff
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I think I read somewhere that Widor was "Acting" for the whole of his time at St Sulpice. Does anyone know if that's true?Ian
I've read it, I think on a CD insert, and that it was much to Widor's amusement after several decades of service.
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I wonder whether I might prevail upon members here to offer some suggestions for wedding music......with a big difference!
My neice is getting married soon and has sent us all a message asking for suggestions for music for her reception.
She asks for "favourite songs to:
- dance to
- chill out to (I believe that this means to relax to, rather than putting in a freezer)
- eat to"
Of course, I'm sure she expects us to suggest some 'pop music' (or whatever it's called these days) but I thought, just for a bit of fun, I'd list some suitable organ music! At least her grandfather, who is an organist, might appreciate them!
Any suggestions? Perhaps not too obscure, or she won't have a clue what I'm talking about.
Trois Danses - Jehan Alain
Pastorale from Sonata I - Alexandre Guilmant
Music while eating? No thanks. Maybe something played after the blower has been switched off. (Just a bit of a rattle to match the sound of clattering cutlery).
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I am a disgrace to my profession....The Dean's elder son got married a couple of weeks ago. Both he and his beloved are avid sci-fi fans. They wanted a certain French toccata as they went out, but asked if I could play the main theme from Star Wars as well. I managed to do the toccata on the manuals and Star Wars on the pedals.
I'm thinking of calling it Darth Widor....
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At what point will today's usage become tomorrow's grammar? I can't imagine anyone seriously disagreeing with Churchill's famous line: "This is the sort of grammar up with which I will not put."Apropos of WSC, there's a cheese shop here that places an A board on the pavement advertising their wares. It quotes WSC as saying, "A gentleman only buys his cheese from Paxton & Whitfield". I asked the manager if he really said that as shouldn't it have been "A gentleman buys his cheese only from P & W"? (They also sell bread, wine, biscuits, ham, pickles etc etc).
"Umm", he said, and quoted the sentence Vox has mentioned. "Perhaps we didn't sell anything but cheese in his day, or maybe our marketing department made it up".
And I would never start a sentence with "but".
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Coventry, Southwark and Gloucester along with St Paul's for its sheer presence and amazing range of sounds from the "Firing Squad" (love that description elsewhere on here!) through the Tubas, the wonderful Swell organ to the beautiful strings and flutes.
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I played this organ for a CE in about 1973 or 1974 when most of it was "prepared for". Then it had, quite literally, too heavy an action for me to cope with. It was a real delight to get back to my TP Hewins instrument.
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Simon Johnson, on his DVD from St. Paul's Cathedral, refers to the 32' Contra Posaune as "the cement mixer..."
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Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon is looking for a new DOM, to start next year. Details here should anyone reading this be interested. The personal description specifies ARCO (or equivalent) as a minimum.
The mixed choir is very competent indeed and performs the music one would expect for a large parish church.
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I've heard the glorious Contre Bombarde
in St Ouen, Rouen described as "just plain dirty...". -
I second what Contrabordun has written.
As a teenager I was organist at a small parish church but for various reasons had a long break, 30+ years, from playing although my love for listening to the organ and its music remained undimmed. A few years ago I really fancied another go and approached the vicar of a nearby church for permission to practice a few pieces to see if I still had the touch. One thing led to another and I now play fairly regularly as a second deputy for the church at which I was organist all those years ago. I found both the clergy and organists at the churches I have contacted more than happy to allow me access to practice. I have always left a small donation in a gift aid envelope after each session to express my appreciation although the churches have never asked for anything.
Do go and ask; perhaps after a service when both the vicar and organist are there together. You'll not regret it, and I'm sure that the sound you'll make with a real organ will inspire and encourage you even more.
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and dare I mention...Le****re W**y - Ben van Oosten at La Madeleine
Please do - a wonderful recording! (I'll change the record now...)
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To the Ben-van-Oosten list I would like to add Vierne, with which he started his incredible French series.I should like the Ben van Oosten Vierne* but already have 2 boxed sets of the Symphonie; Pierre Cochereau and Jeremy Filsell. I don't know if the latter is considered definitive but I play it an awful lot; the C-C in St Ouen is stunning... I also like Olivier Latry's "Pieces de Faintaisie" - quite superb.
*If Mrs Handsoff happens to read this, it is a hint.
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Ben Van Oosten - Dupré & Widor
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An interesting juxtaposition; Ashley Grote from Gloucester Cathedral is playing the Elgar Sonata on that most thrilling of instruments, Coventry Cathedral's organ, on Monday 4 July at 13.00.
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Choral Evensong on R3 today came from St. Edmundsbury Cathedral.
The new organ sounds as good as it looks and the service is well worth listening to on Sunday's repeat when the satellite link problems we suffered this afternoon won't affect the sound quality.
The closing voluntary was by Howells to save some the bother of tuning in...
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That was great fun, thanks!
Just off to make some fresh (hot) coffee...
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I was unable to find anyone in the village who was able to open the organ for me and the single Sunday service was at a time which clashed with other activities. Pity, as I should like to have heard it and even had a play - a first for me on an instrument with a short compass pedal.
The organ has quite attractively decorated front pipes in blue and gold and from what I could see from the floor was in clean condition. Next time maybe...
Photos sent to NPOR.
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What a great plural!
Mandy's for our hosts?
Wasn't Mandys a colloquial name for a type of recreational pharmaceutical product some years ago?
Manderii, perhaps?
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So, presumably there is not one single organ builder in this country who could have built an organ to the specifications of Merton College ?Very sad.
Colin Richell.
Or maybe UK organ builders' order books are so full that they could not fulfil an order in the timescale required?
From my own experience, an organ in SonA expected to be ready in 2009 has not yet appeared through pressure of work on the selected builder and pipe maker.
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Altogether, looks like we'll have a lot of music to enjoy. Perhaps the BBC might offer us a function (via red button, perhaps) to switch the commentary off.It certainly is possible as the BBC do something similar for Formula One racing; different camera angles, different commentary and so on. I write an annual and quite pointless letter to them asking for such a piece of functionality for Wimbledon so that I can enjoy the ambient sounds of a tennis court without the tedious blather. My new Virgin+ box can do all manner of things, including pause live programmes, so the technology is there.
I think though, that on this occasion, that that Auntie's arrogance will be at the forefront and give us what they think we need to know; endless chat about "celebrities" (where's the "Spit The Dog" smiley?) and what they are wearing, who is sitting next to whom and why Blair and Brown aren't there...
It's probably better if I don't watch or listen at all rather than shout at the screen so shall spend the morning in my hopefully quiet health club's swimming pool.
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There may, as noted elsewhere on the forum, be life after Widor's Toccata but it will no doubt see a resurgence of popularity now. It's a pity that they didn't pick the first movement of his VI Symphonie...
http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/bl...Wedding-Service
Some of the other music will be interesting if the BBC commentators allow viewers and listeners the courtesy of actually hearing it. They usually waffle over everything except the solemn vows.
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I'm glad you saw it; I took this shot of it between Hatton and Bearley. I wonder where Stratford-upon-Avon cathedral is?
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There is a small amount of organ music in the 2011 Proms but some good quality music is featured. An interesting mix from Thierry Escaich...
Sunday 4 September
4.00pm – c. 5.00pm
Royal Albert Hall
Thierry Escaich
Overture in the Baroque Style (improvisation) (c5 mins)
J. S. Bach
Chorale Prelude 'Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland', BWV 659 (4 mins)
Thierry Escaich
Evocation III (on 'Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland') (5 mins)
UK Premiere
Reger
Chorale Prelude 'Jauchz, Erd, und Himmel, juble hell', Op. 67 No. 15 (3 mins)
Franck
Chorale No. 2 in B minor (14 mins)
Liszt
Adagio in D flat major, S759 (5 mins)
Thierry Escaich
Triptych on Themes by Liszt (improvisation) (c15 mins)
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Oh joy! I shall be in Warwick next Saturday (visiting my wife's mother, etc) and will go to Cape Road bridge or the station to see 70000 go through each way on the 'Cathedrals'. Anyone else round there, I might see you too? Nice pic of her in black on the latest mag cover, though the assistant in Smith's said he preferred Brunswick- turns out he is a guard on the East Lancs!CP
Cape Road bridge would be a better bet than the station (although not much good for photos in the down direction) as 70000 is booked to call at Warwick so will be at full blast by Cape Road for the run up Hatton Bank.
Although not especially a steam fan I may pop out nearer to SonA for a quick look if it's sunny.
P
in St Ouen, Rouen described as "just plain dirty...".
BBC & RAH Proms 2011
in General discussion
Posted · Report reply
Thank you MM. I thought that I had recorded the live broadcast on my reel-to-reel but without checking the radio station to which my tuner was errrr, tuned. Ninety minute tape of Heart FM anyone? :angry:
Now to find a USB to phono plug so I can hear it on something better than Dell PC speakers...